One of the more interesting aspects of Facebook is the ability to create and join groups. There are groups for everything on the social network, including groups for dating, groups to sell stuff, groups for mothers, and more besides.

The thing is, in addition to the open groups, there are closed and secret Facebook groups too. In this article, you’ll learn more about Facebook groups and the differences between each type, and we’ll show you how to find the closed and secret groups.

Open Groups

Open groups are, not surprisingly, accessible to anyone with a Facebook account. This means anyone can see the group’s name, location, member list, and posts. Perhaps most importantly, anything that’s posted in the group is available in Facebook searches and on the news feed.

Want to join an open Facebook group? Go right ahead; membership doesn’t require an invite or approval.

Closed Groups

Closed groups, by contrast, add some restrictions. Like open groups, the name, description, and member list of a closed group are readily available. Closed groups are also found in Facebook searches.

Unlike open groups, however, closed groups require that new members get approved by an administrator or get invited to join by a current member. Additionally, only current members can see what’s being discussed in group posts and on its news feed.

How to Find Closed Facebook Groups

Unsurprisingly, there’s no simple way to find a listing for all Facebook groups, at least those which are open or closed. Actually, this is a good thing, given that there are hundreds of thousands of Facebook groups.

Because Facebook already knows a lot about you, check out Facebook’s Groups page. Here you can see what groups you have joined, and what groups you have been invited to join. And if you click the “Discover” tab you’ll see groups Facebook recommends for you, groups local to you, and groups your friends have joined.

The Facebook Sale Groups is another excellent URL worth exploring. You can find plenty of communities right here which are looking to buy or sell stuff. There’s also an easy-to-use map that shows you the location of sale groups near you.

If you’re looking to find some more bizarre Facebook groups, we recommend you search Reddit for “Facebook groups” and prepare to get a surprise. It seems the world is full of some rather twisted Facebook groups.

Using this method I discovered closed Facebook groups for anime, LuLaRoe sellers, and “extreme triggering,” to name a few of the more benign ones.

Finding a secret Facebook group is all about finding a member list or the administrator of the group. Once you do that, you can try to get an invite by contacting them on Facebook. You should also take advantage of your own friends by asking around to see if they belong to any secret groups that might interest you.

For example, if you’re a parent, the odds are pretty high that some of your Facebook friends are also parents. Some of those almost certainly belong to secret Facebook groups for parents. Remember, just like real life, social networking requires a certain amount of, well, networking.

As with closed groups, you can also search Reddit for “secret Facebook groups”. Here, you’ll find a running list of secret groups discovered by Reddit members. Not everything discussed here is appropriate for everyone, nor are the listings always verified. Still, if you’re willing to go down a slightly murky rabbit hole, this is a great place to start.

Secret Facebook groups are out there waiting to be discovered if you do some digging.

Making Use of Facebook Groups

If you’re looking for a community of like-minded individuals, joining a Facebook group is a great way to go about doing so. Facebook’s open, closed, and secret groups allow you to increase your circle of friends and learn more about the things you already love.

Bryan Wolfe loves new technology. His focus is on Apple and Windows-based products, as well as smart home gadgets. When he's not playing around with the newest smartphone or tablet, you'll find him watching Netflix, HBO, or AMC. Or test driving new cars.